Python 3 versus Lua fastest performance

How the programs are written matters! Always look at the source code.

If the fastest programs are * hand-written vector instructions, does the host language matter? You might be more interested in the less optimised programs — more seconds, less gz source code.

fannkuch-redux
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Lua	603.40	19,652	469	603.36
Python 3 #6	1,033.31	19,312	391	1,033.27
Python 3 #4	302.37	19,312	960	1,196.45
Python 3 #8	2,259.59	19,312	414	2,259.50
n-body
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Lua #2	220.08	19,656	1200	220.07
Lua #4	223.32	19,656	1312	223.30
Lua	262.10	19,656	1207	262.08
Python 3	355.06	19,312	1201	355.05
Python 3 #2	374.16	19,312	1247	374.14
Python 3 #8	518.11	19,312	1172	518.09
spectral-norm
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Lua	78.68	19,652	335	78.68
Python 3 #6	347.53	19,316	334	347.52
Python 3 #4	90.52	19,308	415	359.95
Python 3 #8	379.97	19,440	334	379.96
Python 3 #7	97.11	19,316	425	380.79
mandelbrot
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Lua #3	345.71	19,656	364	345.68
Lua	348.76	19,656	365	348.74
Lua #2	376.55	19,656	373	376.53
Lua #6	114.06	282,112	630	400.14
Python 3 #7	172.20	19,312	698	687.68
Python 3 #3	861.76	19,312	319	861.73
Python 3 #2	235.71	95,164	790	926.30
Python 3 #5	257.00	19,312	463	1,026.96
Python 3 #8	1,528.00	19,364	379	1,527.73
fasta
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Lua #3	24.08	19,652	1065	24.08
Lua #2	24.15	19,652	1065	24.14
Python 3 #2	39.00	19,312	1126	39.00
Python 3 #3	39.12	19,312	1007	39.12
Python 3 #5	27.86	827,284	1951	53.94
Python 3	57.21	19,312	823	57.20
Python 3 #8	156.78	19,780	738	156.35
k-nucleotide
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Lua #2	97.17	596,604	620	97.16
Python 3 #3	50.15	262,368	1970	185.77
Python 3 #4	79.01	506,112	663	236.67
Python 3	238.45	499,072	499	237.78
Python 3 #8	238.78	623,448	525	237.93
Python 3 #9	68.33	379,392	614	238.74
reverse-complement
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Python 3 #3	4.86	507,712	803	4.86
Python 3 #5	4.09	1,500,716	960	7.41
Python 3 #2	10.08	1,788,136	440	10.08
Python 3	10.29	1,986,440	484	10.29
Python 3 #6	7.38	2,484,372	821	10.89
Python 3 #4	13.41	4,002,688	343	13.41
Lua #2	41.12	2,654,652	560	41.10
Lua #5	41.96	2,169,636	758	41.96
Lua #4	49.35	1,030,016	600	49.33
binary-trees
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
Python 3 #2	100.90	271,872	344	100.89
Python 3 #4	33.61	276,992	481	121.96
Python 3 #5	35.49	274,816	669	126.17
Python 3	36.12	276,992	597	127.68
Lua #2	141.55	956,672	418	141.52
Python 3 #3	52.28	671,872	1247	149.07
Lua #3	83.71	809,856	690	167.26
Lua #4	48.65	956,672	670	180.27
Python 3 #8	558.92	798,336	535	558.85
pidigits
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
* Python 3 #3	1.26	19,312	573	1.26
Python 3 #4	4.54	19,312	348	4.54
Python 3 #5		Failed
* Lua #7		Failed
* Lua #5		Failed
* Lua		Failed
regex-redux
source	secs	mem	gz	cpu secs
* Python 3 #2	1.35	168,236	1411	2.64
Python 3	8.91	432,220	515	16.44
Lua		Failed
Python 3	Python 3.13.0
Lua	Lua 5.4.6 Copyright (C) 1994-2023 Lua.org, PUC-Rio